Particulate vs. Non-Particulate Steroid for Sacroiliac Joint Injection

November 4, 2025 updated by: rehsanian, University of New Mexico

Particulate Versus Non-Particulate Corticosteroid in Sacroiliac Joint Injection: A Randomized Prospective Study

This study will compare two different corticosteroids (dexamethasone and methylprednisolone) for use in sacroiliac joint injections to treat SI joint pain.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Patients who are screened for inclusion will be randomized into one of two groups; dexamethasone or methylprednisolone. Patients will report their pain immediately after the procedure to confirm the diagnosis of sacroiliac joint pain, then be followed for three months to compare the efficacy and safety of the two medications.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
230

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New Mexico
      • Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, 87131
        • Recruiting
        • University of New Mexico Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged >18, capable of understanding and providing consent in English, capable of complying with the outcome instruments used, capable of attending all planned follow up visits
  • Unilateral low back/buttocks pain of at least 2 weeks.
  • Patient reported 7 day average of numeric pain rating score (NPRS) low back/buttocks pain of at least 5/10 at baseline evaluation
  • Clinical diagnosis of sacroiliac joint pain as diagnosed by a board certified Physiatrist including history of low back/buttocks pain and at least 2 positive physical exam findings (including positive fortin finger sign, pain with palpation of posterior superior iliac spine, positive FABER's test, positive Gaenslan's test, positive sacral distraction, positive thigh thrust, positive lateral compression, positive sacral thrust)
  • Patient consents to sacroiliac joint corticosteroid injection in a shared decision-making process with the treating physician.
  • 80% or more relief of index pain within first 5-15 minutes after injection

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Clinical suspicion of alternative process is greater than clinical suspicion of sacroiliac joint pain
  • Those receiving remuneration for their pain treatment (e.g., disability, worker's compensation).
  • Those involved in active litigation relevant to their pain.
  • Those unable to read English and complete the assessment instruments.
  • Those unable to attend follow up appointments
  • The patient is incarcerated.
  • History of prior sacroiliac joint fusion
  • Progressive lower extremity neurologic deficit (from active radiculopathy, unhealed radiculopathy, or neuromuscular disease)
  • Sacroiliac joint steroid injection within the prior 12 months
  • 2 Positive lumbar medial branch blocks within the past 12 months
  • Radiofrequency ablation of the lumbar spine within the past 12 months
  • Lumbar facet steroid injections within the past 12 months
  • Prior epidural steroid injection within the prior 3 months in any location within the spine.
  • Possible pregnancy or other reason that precludes the use of fluoroscopy.
  • Allergy to steroid, contrast media, or local anesthetics.
  • BMI>40.
  • Systemic inflammatory arthritis (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus).
  • Active infection or treatment of infection with antibiotics within the past 7 days.
  • Medical conditions causing significant functional disability (e.g., stroke, decompensated ---COPD, decompensated heart failure)
  • Chronic widespread pain or somatoform disorder (e.g. fibromyalgia).
  • Addictive behavior, severe clinical depression, or psychotic features.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Non-Particulate Steroid
Patients in this arm will receive an injection of 1 milliliter of 2% lidocaine with 10 milligrams of dexamethasone to one or both sacroiliac joints. If participants initially achieve relief from the injection but then have a return of pain they may be offered a second injection with the same drug at the same dose.
Drug: Dexamethasone
This is a non-particulate steroid commonly used to treat SI joint pain.
Other Names:
  • Ozurdex
  • Maxidex
  • DexPak
Drug: 2% Lidocaine HCl Injection
Lidocaine is a local anesthetic used in SI joint injection procedures to numb the procedure site and helps to confirm SI joint dysfunction when injected with the steroid medication into the SI joint.
Other Names:
  • Xylocaine
  • Lignocaine
Active Comparator: Particulate Steroid
Patients in this arm will receive an injection of 1 milliliter of 2% lidocaine with 40 milligrams of methylprednisolone to one or both sacroiliac joints. If participants initially achieve relief from the injection but then have a return of pain they may be offered a second injection with the same drug at the same dose.
Drug: 2% Lidocaine HCl Injection
Lidocaine is a local anesthetic used in SI joint injection procedures to numb the procedure site and helps to confirm SI joint dysfunction when injected with the steroid medication into the SI joint.
Other Names:
  • Xylocaine
  • Lignocaine
Drug: Methylprednisolone
This is a particulate steroid commonly used to treat SI joint pain.
Other Names:
  • Depo-Medrol
  • Medrol
  • Solu-medrol

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain using Numeric Pain Rating Score
Time Frame: 3 months
Numeric pain rating score is an 11 point scale (0-10) filled out on a form indicating the degree to which the patient experiences pain to assess efficacy of the injection. In this scale a 0, the minimum score, indicates no pain at all with a 10, the maximum score, being the worst pain imaginable. In this study a 50% or greater reduction in numeric pain rating score is considered a successful outcome while failure to achieve at least a 50% improvement as compared to their numeric pain rating score prior to the procedure is considered a poor outcome.
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of New Mexico

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Reza Ehsanian, MD, PhD, University of New Mexico Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 27, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 12, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 12, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 20, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 6, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 4, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • UNM HRRC #23-503

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings